


Let Tonight Remember

by Pixie_Queen24 (FallenAngel69)



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 17:13:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18525979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenAngel69/pseuds/Pixie_Queen24
Summary: 2019...Archie goes to one of Cook's shows...Memories....What could have been....





	Let Tonight Remember

**Author's Note:**

> So... This is probably pointless because who still reads this pairing? But I had a dream and it inspired an idea that I just had to get out. I wrote this on a break yesterday and got it typed up today. Warning, my writing is WAY rusty and I've probably lost their voices because I haven't written them in YEARS!!!! But anyway... Here... Sorry if it sucks. :( 
> 
> Also, I really SHOULD be working on my Bucky fic, but I'm so distracted right now. :/

Touring was one of his favorite things to do, and he’d been away from the stage long enough, David thought as he sang the first lines of their opening number. The crowd was in perfect form and he relished in the feeling…the rush he got from performing his own music live.

He was halfway through his set before he noticed a familiar face to his left, standing in the shadows to the side of the stage. He faltered slightly, but quickly recovered, smiling fondly at the younger man who was also smiling brightly while watching David perform.

As soon as the song ended, David plastered on a mischievous grin and gazed out at the audience as he tuned his guitar. “So… It looks like we have a special guest in our midst.” He glanced to the side of the stage where the younger man was motioning at him not to make him come out on stage. “Oh, you’re coming out here,” David informed. “Come on!”

With a glare, the younger man began to walk out onto the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for David Archuleta!” David shouted into the microphone, grinning widely as the crowd went wild at the sight of Archie. The glare Archie was still sending David’s way turned into a smile as he waved at the audience. “Hey, Archie!”

“Hey, Cook…” Archie replied, taking the mic that one of the techs handed him.

“What’s up, man?” David asked, casually leaning his weight on one hip.

“Oh, you know, just enjoying the show.”

“I didn’t know you were coming,” David trained his eyes on Archie as he silently admonished him for catching him off guard.

Archie smirked, meeting David’s gaze with his own. “Surprise?”

Shaking his head and stifling a laugh, David continued teasing. “You made me mess up my own song!”

Archie shrugged, furrowing his brow as he looked at the audience once again. “How was that my fault?”

“Because I looked to my left and was like, oh my God, Archie! And I just lost my train of thought.” David looked out to the audience. “I mean, ladies? You know how it is, right?”

As the crowd cheered and laughed, Archie’s face flushed, and David lost the ability to keep a straight face.

“You’re so funny, Cook,” Archie said with a roll of his eyes.

“I try. So… You know what you gotta do now, don’t ya?”

“I’m not singing Crush…” Archie informed without hesitation, knowing that it was probably exactly what the older man had in mind. He’d been in that spot before and as much as he loved that song, singing it on the spot wasn’t his favorite thing to do.

“Awe, come on!”

“I’ll sing anything else…”

“Ok…” David glanced down at his set list. He noticed that Just Another Day in Paradise was next to the last song in their set. Nothing wrong with changing it up at bit. “How about that one? Number sixteen.”

Archie shrugged. “Ok. I think I can handle that.”

David grinned and moved closer to Archie, whispering which parts he’d sing. “Sound good?”

“Yeah. I got this.”

****

After the song, David pulled Archie into a tight hug and thanked him. Then Archie waved to the audience and disappeared backstage once more.

For the remainder of the show, David was pumped and somewhat giddy. His banter with the crowd was light-hearted and filled with stories from eleven years earlier. However, there was a yearning in his eyes and certain melancholy that only someone close to him would recognize.

Archie recognized it. He smiled earnestly when David glanced his way after telling the story of the time the Idol tour stopped in Nashville and before starting into an acoustic version of Life on the Moon, which he’d just added to the setlist.

When the show was over, David went straight to Archie and gave him another hug. “It’s good to see you, man! It’s been way too long!”

Archie closed his eyes holding tightly to David as they embraced. “Yeah. It feels like forever.”

As David pulled back, he smiled down at his friend. “I have to go sign right now. Come with me?”

“Oh, I… They’re your fans,” Archie protested as he walked with David towards the makeshift dressing room, backstage.

“They love you,” David argued as he pulled his sweaty shirt over his head in favor of finding a clean one. “It’s a proven fact. People still ask me about you all the time. Trust me, they’ll be thrilled.”

With a sigh, Archie finally gave in. He followed David out the side door to where the fans were waiting. Just as David had predicted, the fans were thrilled to see him out there. They spent almost an hour out there before David’s road manager motioned them back inside.

“So, what are you doing tonight?” David asked once they were back inside the building. Even though he’d had a long day, he wasn’t ready to call it a night. It had been a long time since he’d seen his friend, and he wanted to make the most of it if possible because who knew when it would happen again.

“Nothing. Just going back to my hotel, I guess.”

“Can we hang out? I feel like we need to catch up.”

“Sure. I’d like that very much. Where do you want to go?”

“Let’s go to your hotel. We can order room service and hang.”

Archie nodded his head. “Ok. You want to ride with me?”

“Yeah. Just let me tell the guys.”

Archie waited patiently as David went to tell his band and crew what was going on. Then he headed out the door once more with David following behind. They chatted idly as Archie drove them to his hotel which was only two miles from the venue.

“So what are you doing in Sunny California?” David asked, slouching down in the passenger seat and looking towards Archie.

“I came to see your show.”

“Seriously?”

“It’s been too long,” Archie explained, amused by the incredulous look that David was giving him, “and this was the only date that worked with my schedule.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well you sure as hell did that.”

“Good.”

Once they were in Archie’s hotel room; David grabbed the room service menu, told Archie what he wanted, and then headed off to the bathroom with his duffle slung over his shoulder. As much as he wanted to dive right into long overdue conversation, he needed a shower first.

Twenty minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom in flannel pants and tee shirt as he towel-dried his short hair. He lifted a brow at Archie who was sitting on the edge of the bed, flipping through channels on the television. “How long did they say it would take?” he asked, noticing that there was no room service cart in the room.

Archie glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Should be in her a few more minutes.”

“Great, cause I’m starving.”

“I guess that hasn’t changed,” Archie teased.

“I happened to remember your appetite rivaling mine at one time,” David informed, just as there was a knock on the door. “I got it.” David chuckled to himself as he tipped the attendant. Archie had not disappointed with his choice of dessert. “Looks like I remember right.”

“It’s chocolate cream pie!” Archie defended his choice.

“The whole pie!”

“Are you really going to stop with one piece?”

“If I were a wise man…”

Archie laughed and tossed the remote to the side as David joined him on the bed crossing his legs in front of him. As they ate, they caught up on each other’s lives. It had been a couple of years since they’d seen each other. And even before that it had been sporadic. When Archie returned from his mission, they’d met up for an evening. Then a few times after that including that thing they did for Idol’s finale and David’s wedding. After all that, it was touch and go with neither of their schedules lining up with the others. Eventually, they just stopped trying.

Archie was busy working on his new music and David was on a new venture with Broadway. “I heard the musical was a success.”

“Yeah! It was awesome. I had a lot of fun doing that.” David replied nonchalantly. He hadn’t been planning on bring it up, but since Archie did, he would go with it.

“Sorry I didn’t get to catch it.”

David shrugged. “No big deal, Arch. Probably not your cup of tea anyway.”

Archie tilted his head, wondering what David meant by that, but really, he didn’t have to ask because deep down, he knew. “Even so, I like to support my friends.”

“Thanks, man. Maybe next time.”

“You’re gonna do more?”

“I’d like to,” David said with a shrug of his shoulders as he uncovered the pie that he’d set on the tray between them. “Dig in.”

Archie didn’t have to be told twice. He dipped his fork into the side opposite of the one David was already sampling. “This feels like old times,” he said with another fond smile.

“Technically, it is. It’s just like old times.” David reminded him of the countless nights that they’d done the exact same thing. “Except back then, I could devour this whole pie, and not even think about it.”

“Not so much now?”

“No. Not so much.”

“I wish we had a scrabble board with us.” Archie grinned at the memory of how they used to battle it out over words that he’d never heard of and how David would insist they were real. Eventually a dictionary was brought into the mix.

“Duffle bag,” David said with a shrug before taking another bite of pie.

Archie smiled brightly. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I brought a dictionary too.”

A few hours later, what was left of the pie was set aside and the scrabble board had taken its place between them. David chuckled, noticing Archie’s eyes drooping. “Maybe we should call it a night.”

“No… I’m good,” Archie argued. No matter how tired he was, he was enjoying David’s company and he didn’t want the night to end. He hadn’t felt so content and happy in a long time.

“You’re going to collapse on the game before long. Come on. Bedtime, Arch.” David began cleaning up the game while Archie lay there watching sleepily.

After David got up to put the game away, he went to the small closet by the door to grab the extra pillow and blanket he knew would be there.

“What are you doing?” Archie asked as he sat up.

“I’m getting the extra blankets and stuff so I can make a bed on the floor,” David explained.

“No you’re not,” Archie informed. “This is a king-sized bed. There is no need for…”

“Arch…”

“Cook…” Archie gave him a look that said he wasn’t going to argue about it. “I’m going to grab a quick shower and change.”

David sighed heavily as Archie left the room, trying to decide if he should just ignore the invitation to share the bed and sleep on the floor anyway. However, he knew that would only make Archie feel bad. So, he closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep, cleansing breath before he put the extra linens back into the closet. What would it hurt? After all, it was, as Archie said, a king-sized bed.

Archie returned from the bathroom a while later; David was already under the covers on his side of the bed, snoring softly. He stood there for a few minutes, remembering the way things used to be between them. The way sharing a bed would have never even been a question. His heart ached at the thought of what might have been if he hadn’t got scared.

Careful not to disturb the older man, Archie climbed into bed, settling close to the edge on his own side. He stared into the darkness, replaying the evening in his mind until sleep finally consumed him.

When David felt the warmth of the sunlight hitting his face, he slowly opened his eyes. It took him a moment to orientate himself to his surroundings. He was close to the edge of the bed facing the window of a hotel room that was not his own. He fully remembered spending the night with Archie reminiscing and catching up. What he didn’t remember was anything pertaining to why the younger man was practically wrapped around him; holding onto him, legs tangled, fingers entwined and pressed against David’s chest. He felt Archie’s breath against his neck and an all too familiar sense of longing rushed through him. He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the sudden surge of emotion that caught in his throat, but he didn’t move. Instead he just remained there, cloaked by the body of his former love.

It was a while before Archie awoke, and David knew the instant it happened. He felt his body tense against his and heard his sharp intake of breath as he started to pull away. David was quick to tighten his grip on the younger man’s hand though. “Arch…” he pleaded, his voice still rough from sleep and emotion. “It’s ok. Calm down.”

Archie didn’t relax, but he stopped trying to pull away.

Carefully, David turned over to face him. “You ok?”

“I’m sorry,” Archie said, his eyes wide and shimmering. For a second, he seemed unsure of what he was really apologizing for, but then after seeing no hint of anger in David’s eyes, he began to relax. “I guess I must have… in my sleep.”

David gave him a gentle half-smile as he took his hand in his own once again. “It’s ok.”

They lay there for several long moments, neither of them speaking as David ran his thumb lightly over the backs of Archie’s knuckles. Finally, Archie broke the silence with a helpless sigh that caught David’s attention. “What is it, Archie?”

“I miss you,” Archie said softly as a few stray tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.

David bit his lower lip as he studied Archie for a moment. “I miss you, too.” He let go of his hand in favor of sliding his arm around the younger man’s waist. “All the time.”

Archie reached up, placing his hand against David’s cheek, feeling the scruff of his beard against his palm. He smiled fondly. “I like this… this salt & pepper look.”

David grinned. “Just shows that I’m getting old.”

“You’re not old,” Archie let his hand fall from David’s cheek, traveling lightly over his neck and down to rest over his heart.

David was sure Archie could feel how fast his heart was beating as he lay there quietly staring at his hand that lay against his chest.

“I’m sorry for hurting you, Cook.”

The tears that had been threatening his own eyes finally came, clinging to his lashes as Archie apologized for his actions years earlier. With a forced smile, David reached up, placing his palm against Archie’s cheek and gently brushing a tear away with his thumb. “I know, baby. I forgave you a long time ago.”

Archie glanced down for a moment, unable to meet David’s eyes as he pondered his next question. “Are you happy now?” He looked up after a moment when David didn’t reply. “Because that’s all I want for you, ya know.”

David swallowed, looking into Archie’s hazel eyes, remembering all the love they’d shared. “I am.” He licked his lips nervously, trying to come up with the right words. “But it’s a different kind of happy.”

Archie furrowed his brow, not quite understanding.

“I still need you in my life Archie. When you’re not around, I feel like there is this huge void. It’s miserable sometimes.”

“I feel the same way,” Archie admitted. “And it’s terrifying to think about because I know I can’t ever have…”

David put a gentle finger over Archie’s lips to stop him. “Please don’t. I can’t. We can’t.” Archie gave him an understanding nod, but his eyes welled up again and David continued. “You know I love you, Archie. Hell, I’ll always love you, but we can’t ever even think about going back to the way we once were.”

Archie remained silent. He knew that David was right. Too much had changed in both of their lives. Too many people were at risk of being hurt, themselves included. “Does she know?” Archie asked, finally. “About us?” It was a question he’d often wondered, but never really had the courage to ask.

“She does,” David admitted. “Well, kinda. I mean I didn’t tell her everything. Just that there were feelings and how things ended. She doesn’t know about the…”

“The physical?” Archie supplied when David stumbled.

“Yeah. I avoided anything that alluded to that part of our relationship.”

“Thank you.”

David nodded, ignoring the way his stomach was twisting into knots as they talked about things he hadn’t allowed himself to even think about in years. “Well, I wanted the two of you to meet and hoped that maybe someday we could all be friends. I didn’t want to add to the awkwardness.”

Archie sighed, not sure that he wanted to talk about this anymore. “What time do you have to be back at your hotel?”

“Not until after noon.”

“Do you want to grab breakfast or something?”

David didn’t answer immediately. He stared into Archie’s eyes as they lay there face to face on the bed, only inches apart. They really should get up and do something. Anything besides staying there remembering how things used to be. “Maybe later,” David finally responded. “But right now, I don’t want to move.”

Archie smiled half-heartedly at David’s response. As he felt David drawing him nearer, he snuggled close, wrapping his own arms around the older man much like they had been when he awoke. “I love you too, ya know,” he murmured against David’s chest.

“I know,” David pressed a chaste kiss to Archie’s head and closed his eyes, wishing that things could be different.

~fin~

**Author's Note:**

> I do not know or own any of the characters mentioned in this fic. (sadly) It is just fiction!!!
> 
> Comments are still welcome and greatly appreciated. :)


End file.
